Back towards the end of last year, Canon announced its first “second-generation” model for one of its popular EOS R-series mirrorless cameras, the R6 II. The new Canon R6 Mark II builds upon the foundation of this capable, enthusiast-grade full-frame camera with several upgrades and improvements to the autofocusing system, the video capabilities and perhaps most notable of all: updating the sensor with one that offers a more competitive megapixel count. The original R6, with its 20-megapixel full-frame sensor, was an excellent camera with great image quality. However, it was arguably a little low-res compared to many competing cameras, and so the R6 II answers that with a new 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor.

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The new sensor isn’t stacked, nor is it a BSI design, but rather a traditional CMOS sensor. There’s nothing really fancy or “exciting” about the R6 II’s sensor, but paired up with Canon’s latest DIGIC X image processor, the R6 II captures excellent images at a wide range of ISOs. From what we’ve seen so far, the R6 II is a solid all-around camera from an image quality standpoint. As with the original R6, the Mark II has the same broad range of ISO sensitivities with a native ISO range spanning ISO 100-104,200 and expanded ISOs going down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 204,800.

R6 II + RF 100-500mm: 500mm, F7.1, 1/500s, ISO 2500, -0.6EVs
(This image has been edited in Adobe Lightroom)

We had a chance to go hands-on with a prototype version right before the R6 II was announced last year. We now have our full-production review sample in-house. We’ve already published our standard First Shots series of lab sample images, if you’re curious to take a look at controlled image quality testing. However, I’ve now finally managed to grab the R6 II and a couple of lenses (including the versatile RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS telephoto lens that our friends over at Lensrentals kindly let us borrow), and get outdoors and test this new full-frame Canon camera. I’m still working through the review, testing various features and putting the R6 II through the paces, but I wanted to share a first batch of real-world gallery images ahead of my hands-on review.

R6 II + RF 100-500mm: 500mm, F11, 1/640s, ISO 3200
(This image has been edited in Adobe Lightroom)

As mentioned, we previously had hands-on with a pre-production version of the Canon R6 II, so those early gallery image samples may not have represented the camera’s final image quality. (Unlikely, but there’s always the possibility.) We always want to make sure we have gallery images from the camera running production-level firmware, to better showcase what a customer might expect from their camera in real-world situations.

Head over to the Canon R6 II Gallery for more real-world sample images, and please stay tuned for more of our Canon R6 II Review!

Are there any particular questions you have about the camera, or features you’d like me to look at in-depth? Let me know in the comments below!

R6 II + RF 100-500mm: 500mm, F7.1, 1/640s, ISO 200
(This image has been edited in Adobe Lightroom)
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R6 II + RF 100-500mm: 500mm, F13, 1/640s, ISO 4000
(This image has been edited in Adobe Lightroom)

– Canon R6 II Hands-on Preview – Sample Images – Gallery Images –

The post Canon R6 Mark II Gallery: Hit the trail with Canon’s versatile R6 II full-frame mirrorless camera appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Sony is quickly approaching the big “5-0,” or their 50th full-frame mirrorless lens for the Alpha series cameras, thanks to the debut of the new G Master lens, the FE 50mm F1.4 GM. Their 72nd overall E-mount lens, and their 49th full-frame mirrorless one, this new high-end standard prime joins (but does not replace) their other top-of-the-line 50mm F1.2 GM as a new pro-tier offering for photographers and video creators looking for the ultimate fast standard prime lens in a smaller, lighter and a bit more affordable package than the F1.2 prime.

Long-time Sony fans might be thinking, “Hey, wait a second, doesn’t Sony already have a full-frame 50mm F1.4 lens?” And indeed, they do. The existing Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Zeiss Planar lens was released about eight years ago, during the Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras’ early days. However, since that time, Sony’s imaging tech has progressed significantly, both in terms of their cameras’ sensors, processing and overall capabilities but also in their lens’s optical designs and performance. As such, Sony’s decided to add a newer, smaller, lighter and better 50mm F1.4 to their lineup.

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Stepping back a bit to look at the lens landscape for the full-frame mirrorless market, we see surprisingly few 50mm F1.4 lenses currently available. There are several 50mm F1.8 lenses and some 50mm F1.2 lenses for various mounts and camera systems. But there are not that many 50mm F1.4 lenses for mirrorless cameras. A 50mm F1.4 lens was an incredibly popular workhorse lens for DSLR systems for many years, as it offered a good balance of size and a bright aperture. Sony is aiming to continue that legacy with its new 50mm F1.4 lens.

In terms of Sony’s ever-expanding lens lineup, the new Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM will not be replacing the existing 50mm F1.4 Zeiss lens, nor is it replacing the FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens. The F1.2 is a unique lens with incredible shallow depth-of-field performance, and while older, Sony says that the Zeiss 50mm lens has dedicated fans and a certain quality to the way it renders images. Both lenses will remain in their lineup. But, as Sony’s cameras have progressed in image quality and performance, so has the need for a sharper 50mm F1.4 lens with modern performance. That’s where the 50mm F1.4 GM lens comes in. Offering Sony’s top-of-the-line G Master build quality and optical features, as well as the latest high-speed focusing technology and several video-centric amenities, this new 50mm F1.4 is a versatile and surprisingly small full-frame prime lens that’s ideal for street photography, portraits, travel, video and everything in between.

Key Features & Specs

• Full-frame standard prime lens for Sony E-mount
• 50mm focal length (75mm eq on APS-C)
• F1.4-F16 aperture range with 11-bladed circular aperture
• 14 elements in 11 groups, including 2 XA elements, 1 ED element and Nano AR II Coating
• 2x XD Linear Motor AF system
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.41m (16 in.) with AF / 0.38m (15 in.) with MF
• Maximum magnification: 0.16x (AF), 0.18x (MF)
• Linear response focusing ring
• Dedicated aperture ring with lock switch and de-click toggle
• 2 custom function buttons
• Dust- and moisture-resistant construction; fluorine coating on front
• Dimensions (L x D): 96mm x 80.6mm (3.7 in. X 3.1 in.)
• Weight: 516g (18.2oz)
• Price: $1299 USD / $1799 CAD
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Design & Handling

As you can see from the photos, the new Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM shares a similar design to other recent Sony FE lenses, especially the previous 24mm F1.4Â and 35mm F1.4 G Master lenses. It’s a sleek, matte black lens with a small but still reasonably-sized focusing ring, manual aperture ring and several buttons and toggle switches. In fact, the new 50mm F1.4 GM lens is nearly identical in both size and weight to the existing FE 24mm F1.4 GM and FE 35mm F1.4 GM lenses, which is purposefully helpful and convenient — especially for video creators who use balance-critical rigs, such as gimbals. It lets you easily swap lenses around without having to spend a lot of time re-balancing things and adjust follow-focus gears or other accessories of that nature.

In terms of specifics, the FE 50mm F1.4 GM lens weighs just 516g (18.2oz), which puts it in between the FE 35mm F1.4 GM and 24mm F1.4 GM lenses. The 35mm is just a bit heavier, while the 24mm is slightly lighter. Size-wise, the lenses are even more closely matched, with the 50mm lens having the same length as the 35mm lens, at just 96mm (3.78 in.) long. The 24mm lens is a few millimeters shorter. The 50mm F1.4 lens has a slightly thicker diameter at 80.6mm (3.1 in.), whereas the 35mm F1.4 is 76mm (2.9 in.) in diameter and the 24mm F1.4 is 75.4mm (2.97 in.). Despite that, all three lenses use the same 67mm filter size.

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As mentioned, the 50mm F1.4 GM shares a similar overall design to the earlier 24 and 35mm GM primes, though this new lens adds a couple more external features — ones that we’ve also seen on other more recent Sony lenses, such as the FE 20-70mm. The 50mm F1.4 GM lens adds a locking switch for the manual aperture ring that, well, locks the ring in the Auto (A) position to help prevent accidental aperture adjustments. There’s also an additional customizable function to the top of the lens, whereas the 24mm and 35mm just had a single one on the left side of the barrel.

The lens also features a de-click slider switch for the manual aperture ring, allowing for for smooth, controlled iris adjustments — a nice feature for video shooters. There’s also an AF/MF focus mode switch on the left side of the lens.

In terms of handling, the Sony 50mm F1.4 GM feels wonderful in the hand. The balance is excellent with the A7R IV I used, and the manual aperture ring feels nice and solid with pleasing clicks as you make adjustments. The lens overall has that pleasingly light but solid feel I’ve come to expect from the several G Master prime lenses I’ve tried over the years. The exterior of the lens does appear to be made of a plastic material, but that is by no means a dig towards the lens and its construction. The build quality is excellent. The materials feel robust and solid, while the use of polycarbonate material helps keep the weight down. The lens does have a metal lens mount, and there is full weather-sealing throughout the lens, like with other G Master lenses, with silicone rubber gaskets sealing up the buttons, switches and around the lens mount.

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The focusing ring, like other Sony E-mount lenses, is electronically controlled; there’s no mechanical linkage between the focus ring and the focusing mechanism inside the lens. As such, the ring rotates freely in either direction, and even in MF mode, it will rotate indefinitely with no hard or soft stops to indicate focusing limits. The ring does rotate extremely smoothly, and the linear response design of the ring allows for nice, precise manual focusing behavior. There aren’t any focus markings, like focusing distance on the lens itself, unfortunately, so you’ll need to rely on focusing visually or using an on-screen aid such as focus peaking or the digital focusing distance scale.

Sony touts the FE 50mm F1.4 GM’s lighter design and excellent mobility, and that does feel true in and of itself. The 50mm F1.4 lens isn’t all that large nor heavy on its own. It’s fairly light, but still has a nice quality heft to it; it’s definitely not a “heavy lens.” But I wouldn’t consider this a remarkably compact lens, especially in terms of the broader array of other 50mm F1.4 lenses for full-frame cameras. The lens is definitely smaller and lighter than the existing FE 50mm F1.4 Zeiss lens, but compared to the Canon EF 50mm F1.4 or Nikon 50mm F1.4G lenses, for instance, the Sony lens is much larger and heavier. That being said, the Sony lens is a much more modern lens, with a more sophisticated optical design, a better focusing system, and more physical features, plus a weather-sealed construction.

Optics & Image Quality

In terms of the FE 50mm F1.4 GM’s optical design, the new Sony prime uses a total of 14 elements arranged into 11 groups, and it includes a pair of Sony’s specialized XA (extreme aspherical) elements and a single ED (extra-low dispersion) elements. The ED glass helps suppress chromatic aberrations, as does the two XA elements. The XA elements help further minimize other aberrations as well as help ensure high resolving power and sharpness, plus excellent bokeh performance thanks to these elements’ amazingly smooth surface precision. In addition, the lens’s 11-bladed circular aperture further helps create smooth, pleasing out-of-focus areas. Also, the lens features Sony’s latest Nano AR II coating to help reduce ghosting and glare.

A7R IV: 50mm, F2.2, 1/3200, ISO 100

As mentioned, this new 50mm F1.4 GM is said to offer improved image quality performance over the existing 50mm F1.4 Zeiss prime. According to Sony, the GM lens offers better sharpness at both the center and out in the corners than this older Zeiss lens, with much better resolving power and less vignetting. Though we’ve not had a chance to review the 50mm Zeiss lens, the lens does get high scores and ratings, with users noting its excellent center sharpness and natural colors.

A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/6400, ISO 100

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a 50mm F1.4 Zeiss to use side-by-side, so I can’t personally vouch for any optical differences one way or the other. Nonetheless, based on some real-world shooting, the new FE 50mm F1.4 GM lens is indeed incredibly sharp both wide open and stopped down. Center sharpness is incredible, with excellent fine detail and contrast, even at F1.4. Stopping down I don’t see much if any noticeable increase in sharpness; it’s already that good. However, as you stop down further to the narrower apertures, such as F11-F16, you can see the slight drop in fine detail thanks to some diffraction-related softening. You really have to pixel-peep to see it or compared images side-by-side to notice, but it’s quite mild softening overall. Although, as expected, diffraction is the most noticeable overall at F16.

A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/4000, ISO 100, -0.7EV

100% JPEG crop

And moving out into the corners, I was pleasantly surprised at how sharp the images were still. The centers at F1.4 were tack-sharp already, and while the corners are a little softer, the overall level of detail is still excellent. Stopping down some will help sharpen things up if you want top-notch sharpness across the frame, with somewhere around F5.6-F8 being the ideal sweet sport for the sharpness detail in the far, far corners.

F1.4 -Â A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

Center – 100% JPEG crop

Corner – 100% JPEG crop

All in all, though, as with other Sony G Master lenses, the new 50mm F1.4 GM does not disappoint when it comes to sharpness and resolving power, even when shooting wide-open.

In other areas, the 50mm F1.4 lens excelled, as well. Chromatic aberration is extremely minimal. I did spot the occasional hint of longitudinal chromatic aberration or “bokeh fringing” when shooting at F1.4. However, this was very minor and not all that uncommon to see on lenses like this. I also noticed a tiny little bit of purple fringing on some high-contrast edges, but again this was extremely mild, and I really had to pixel-peep in order to see it. The in-camera image processing with the Sony A7R IV cleaned up the hints of purple fringing, so I had to examine the raw files to even fine examples of it in the first place. All in all, though, it’s minor, and if it does appear, it’s easy to correct in post-processing.

A7R IV: 50mm, F5.6, 1/640, ISO 100

Vignetting was also noticeable at F1.4, but to my eye, it was quite mild and not very distracting. It’s easy to correct in editing, if desired, or by stopping the lens down even slightly. Personally, I don’t mind some vignetting when shooting with bright prime lenses, but it is easy to avoid or fix if you come across it.

A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/800, ISO 100

Focusing

Like most of Sony’s latest G Master lenses, the new FE 50mm F1.4 GM lens uses an XD Linear Motor-based focusing system. This lens uses a dual XD Linear Motor design to smoothly and quickly drive a singular larger focusing group. The XD Linear Motors combines the thrust and power, like older rotational focusing motors, to move heavier focusing groups but also has the speed and precision of linear motors. The result is incredibly fast autofocusing performance, along with excellent tracking and continuous AF performance.

A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

In use, the Sony 50mm F1.4 GM’s AF was so impressive that I barely even thought about it. I just focused (no pun intended) on shooting and compositions. Single-shot focus felt nearly instantaneous, especially with short focusing adjustments. In fact, there were a few times when I was in single-shot AF, but noticed a moving subject I wanted to capture. I didn’t have time to change the focus mode of the camera to C-AF, but the 50 F1.4 was fast enough to focus and capture a single frame of the moving subject.

In low-light and with some lower-contrast subjects, AF speed can slow a little bit, but most of the time, the focusing performance was fast and precise.

The minimum focusing distance is pretty good, but it’s certainly no macro lens. There were a few times when I found myself too close to a subject and had to back up in order to focus. Minimum focusing distance with autofocus is 0.41m (16 in.). You can focus a little bit closer with manual focus, down to 0.38m (15 in.). The maximum magnification is 0.16x (AF), or 0.18x with MF.

A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

Pricing & Availability

Overall, the new Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM is shaping up to be another fantastic addition to Sony’s impressive lens lineup. As mentioned, the FE 50mm F1.4 Zeiss is remaining in the lineup, and while nothing has been announced yet, we do expect to see some price reduction on the Zeiss version once the G Master version hits store shelves.

The Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM lens is set to go on sale for pre-order on Feb 22, 2023, for an MSRP of $1299 USD ($1799 CAD). Actual availability in stores has not yet been announced.

• Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM Gallery •

The post Hands-on: Sony announces new compact and portable FE 50mm F1.4 GM standard prime appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Panasonic kicked off the new year by announcing a new full-frame mirrorless camera, the Lumix S5 II. Well, two new full-frame mirrorless cameras technically. They also announced the S5 IIX, which is essentially the same camera but features a few more bells and whistles for serious video creators. But, the big story with Panasonic’s second-generation Lumix S5 hybrid mirrorless camera is the inclusion of on-sensor phase-detection autofocus, which is a first for a Panasonic Lumix camera and a very long-awaited and much-requested feature from consumers. The overhauled AF system features 779 PDAF points and 315 contrast-detect autofocus points, and it incorporates Panasonic’s long-standing DFD AF technology. The specs don’t mention any AI-based or Machine-learning-based AF tech, but the camera does feature subject-detection modes for people and animals, as well. With this all-new AF system, plus high-speed performance, such as 30fps continuous burst shooting with C-AF, the new Panasonic S5 II is well suited to compete with other popular high-performance full-frame cameras.

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Beyond the S5 II’s speed and performance improvements, the imaging pipeline is similar to the one in the original Panasonic S5, though it’s still updated with a new sensor and a new processor. Of course, the sensor in the SS5 II is all-new, as it incorporates on-sensor phase-detect pixels, but the resolution remains the same at 24.2 megapixels. In terms of the image processor, Panasonic Lumix cameras have utilized a “Venus Engine” image processor of varying generations and iterations over the years, but the S5 II appears to be powered differently. This camera is the first one developed through Panasonic’s partnership with Leica, a co-developing agreement called “L2 Technology.” Through this partnership, this S5 II is powered by an all-new L2 Technology-powered processing engine. Despite the new(ish) imaging pipeline, the Lumix S5 II has the same expansive ISO range as its predecessor, offering a native ISO range of 100-51,200. The ISO range can be expanded down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 204,800.

ISO 100 (JPEG)

We’ve just received our Lumix S5 II review unit, and, of course, the first stop is a visit to our lab. We now have lab sample images ready and waiting for all you pixel-peepers out there! As with most of our First Shots series of sample images, the Panasonic S5 II First Shots have two different image series, one with default in-camera noise reduction and another with noise reduction set to its lowest possible setting (the S5 II does not allow you to disable in-camera NR processing completely). As always, we have corresponding RAW files to go along with these straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, allowing you to see unprocessed images.

ISO 100 (JPEG) – 100% Crop

Check out our Panasonic S5 II First Shots to see how the new Lumix full-frame camera looks across its full ISO range. Also, head over to our Comparometer to see our S5 II test shots side by side with sample images from nearly every other camera we’ve tested over the years.

– Panasonic S5 II Sample Images – Product Overview –

The post Panasonic S5 II First Shots: Lab sample images from Panasonic’s first camera with PDAF appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Initially disclosed as a development announcement back in September 2022, OM Digital Solutions has now fully unveiled their next OM System lens, the M.Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO. The third macro lens in their Micro Four Thirds system lineup, the 90mm F3.5 is both the longest focal length macro lens they’ve ever made, with a 180mm-eq. focal length, and also the first Pro-series macro lens for OM System cameras.

OM Digital Solutions, or Olympus at the time, debuted the 60mm F2.8 Macro lens all the way back in 2012. A fairly specialized macro lens, it offered a 120mm-equivalent focal length and full 1:1 macro capabilities. And while not a “Zuiko Pro” series lens — as that line wasn’t even a thing yet (Olympus’s Micro Four Thirds camera system was still fairly new around that time) — it was one of the few Olympus lenses with a splashproof design. A few Photokinas later, and Olympus released the 30mm F3.5 Macro lens. This tiny, lightweight lens offered a 60mm-eq. focal length and an impressive 1.25x maximum magnification factor. Although, it does lack several of the bells and whistles of the longer 60mm lens.

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But now, OM Digital Solutions has pulled out all the stops for their most advanced and highest-end macro lens to date. In addition to a longer focal length, the lens features even more powerful macro capabilities, with up to 2x magnification (4x in 35mm-eq.) or even more magnifying powers up to 4x when combined with OM’s 1.4x or 2x teleconverters. Further, there’s on-board optical image stabilization, IP53-rated weather-sealed construction, AF/MF clutch with focus and magnification markings and much more! At around $1500, it’s undoubtedly a pro- and enthusiast-oriented lens, and one that’s much more expensive than their other two macro lenses. However, it’s their most powerful and feature-rich macro lens, so if you’ve been looking for the “ultimate field macro lens,” the new OM 90mm F3.5 Macro IS Pro lens has all the boxes checked.

I’ve been fortunate to have an early look at OM’s latest lens, so in addition to a full rundown of features and specs, let’s also take a closer look (no pun intended) at how this new macro lens performs in the field!

OM-1: 90mm, F14, 1/60s, ISO 200

Key Features & Specs

• 90mm telephoto macro lens (180mm in 35mm equivalence)
• F3.5-F22 aperture range
• Up to 2x magnification (4x in 35mm eq); minimum focusing distance of just 0.224m (8.8in)
• Up to 4x macro magnification (8x in 35mm eq) when using 2x teleconverter
• Manual focus clutch with focusing distance and magnification markings
• Autofocus capable across full focusing range, even at macro distances
• IP53 weather sealing
• Lens IS with Sync IS compatibility with up to 7 stops of stabilization
• Compatible with all OM System Cameras
• Weight: 453g (15.98 oz)
• Dimensions (D x L): 68.9mm x 136mm [2.7 in x 5.4 in]
• 62mm filter thread
• MSRP: $1499.99 US ($2049.99 CAD)
• Shipping: March 9th, 2023

Design and Handling

As with most Micro Four Thirds lenses, the new OM 90mm F3.5 Macro is smaller and lighter than an equivalent lens for a full-frame system, such as the Canon EF 180mm F3.5L Macro lens, for instance. The OM 90mm Macro lens comes in at just 453g, or right at one pound. The lens has a pretty thin and narrow tube-like shape, with a fairly long barrel (at least compared to OM’s previous macro lenses) and a pretty small diameter. The lens measures 136mm (5.35 in) in length and a diameter of just 69.8mm (2.75 in). The 90mm lens has a filter thread of 62mm, which is the same filter size as several of their existing Pro lenses, such as the 12-40mm F2.8 Pro II and all three of the F1.2 Pro primes — comes in handy if you want to share filters.

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Despite the larger size of the lens compared to the Olympus 60mm Macro and especially the 30mm F3.5 Macro, the new 90mm F3.5 still feels impressively compact and light when you pick it up. The build quality is solid, just like I’ve experienced with other Zuiko Pro lenses, but this lens doesn’t feel hefty at all — which is great. Visually, too, the larger size fits nicely with OM’s higher-end cameras, such as the OM-1 or with my E-M1 II. The tiny 60mm macro lens is dwarfed by these cameras, whereas the 90mm balances really well, both physically and just in appearance.

As part of OM’s “Zuiko Pro” series of lenses, the 90mm F3.5 Macro lens features the best of the best when it comes to build quality and weather-sealing. The barrel and lens mount are made entirely out of metal, and the lens shares the same impressive IP53-rated weather-sealed construction as their flagship OM-1 camera. Though, of course, the lens is not waterproof, the lens is securely sealed against moisture, dust and freezing temperatures down to -10 degrees C (14 degrees F). The lens also has a fluorine coating on the front element for additional protection and easy cleaning of dust, moisture and oils. Like their pro cameras, the 90mm Macro lens is designed with outdoor adventures in mind, no matter the weather conditions.

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Looking at the lens’s exterior features, one of the most notable features of the 90mm Macro lens is the large focusing ring and AF/MF clutch mechanism. Like most (but not all) of OM’s Pro-series lenses feature a physical clutch mechanism to toggle the lens back and forth between autofocus and manual focus modes. Pulling the focusing ring back towards the camera engages manual focus mode and also reveals a focusing distance scale as well as magnification factors from 0.25x all the way to 2x, which I find very helpful. Want to make sure you’re shooting at exactly 1x or 2x macro magnification, simply rotate the focusing ring to your desired magnification setting and move the camera back and forth until you get your subject in focus. (However, speaking of autofocusing — which I’ll touch on more further down — AF does work throughout the lens’s full focusing range, even at macro distances!)

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The 90mm macro lens also includes small panel of controls, including a customizable lens function button, an image stabilization on/off switch and a three-way focus limiter switch. The focus limiter switch lets you dial in how much autofocus range you have, which depending on your shooting situation, can help speed up AF performance. The slider switch has a position for full* focus range (0.25m to infinity), a close-up range of 0.25 to 0.5m (down to 1x macro magnification), and then an even higher-powered macro mode (“S Macro”) that lets you autofocus down to 2x magnification, or 0.224m (4x in 35mm-eq.).

(* Normal autofocusing range is from 1x macro to infinity, or from 0.25m to infinity. You’ll need to switch into the “S Macro” mode if you want to autofocus closer than the 1x magnification level.)

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Now, on its own, the 90mm F3.5 Macro lens is an amazingly powerful macro lens that lets you get down to 2x magnification. However, if you want more magnification, you can add OM’s 1.4x or 2x teleconverters for even closer focusing performance. With the MC-20 2x TC attached, you can get full 4x macro magnification for some extreme close-up shooting performance — and you still have autofocus functionality.

The 90mm Macro lens also features built-in optical image stabilization, making it one of the few OM or Olympus lenses to have OIS. Like the 300mm F4 Pro and 12-100mm F4 Pro lenses, the 90mm Macro is compatible with Sync IS, and the lens’s IS will work in tandem with the camera’s body-based IS system for some impressive stabilization performance. OM doesn’t provide a spec for the number of stops of correction for the lens’s IS system alone, but together with a supported camera body, the 5-axis Sync IS is rated for up to 7 stops of stabilization.

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In the field, and especially when focusing at macro distances, vibrations are extremely noticeable, and when activated, the IS system does an incredible job and creating a smooth and steady view to help compose and focus your shots. Typically, with high-powered macro shooting, you really need to use a tripod, but the combination of autofocus and excellent image stabilization with the OM System 90mm Macro lens really makes it possible to shoot macro handheld. It’s quite impressive.

OM-1: 90mm, F18, 1/60s, ISO 200, -0.3EV

Image Quality

In terms of the OM 90mm F3.5 Macro lens’s optical design, the lens features a total of 18 elements arranged into 13 groups. The lens includes two Super ED elements, four ED elements, one Super HR and one HR lens. The array of ED and Super ED glass elements help suppress chromatic aberration and fringing, while the HR lens elements help ensure sharpness across the frame and also help reduce the size of the lens. OMDS also states that the defocused areas and the bokeh of this lens are designed to have minimal color bleeding. The lens also features their ZEROÂ (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating to help reduce ghosting and flare.

OM-1: 90mm, F5, 1/250s, ISO 200

Though I’ve only had a short amount of time to test out the new 90mm Macro lens so far, the image quality I’ve seen from this lens is definitely impressive — though given the excellent legacy of previous Zuiko Pro lenses, I wasn’t expecting poor performance. Images are extremely sharp, both at the center and in the corners — and even wide open. Despite being a macro lens, the 90mm F3.5 can work perfectly well as a normal short telephoto lens, too.

OM-1: 90mm, F3.5, 1/640s, ISO 200

When shooting macro shots, you’re probably not going to shoot at F3.5, as the depth of field will become incredibly shallow and you’ll only get a tiny sliver of your subject in focus. Fortunately, the 90mm works very well when used stopped down, even at very narrow apertures, such as F18, for example. Usually, stopping a lens done that much, you can experience some diffraction-related softness that you’d not see at wider apertures. This side effect can also be more noticeable on smaller sensor camera systems, but I am very pleased with the performance here with this lens. I took some test macro shots at F18, and the amount of incredibly fine detail I could see in the resulting photos is outstanding.

OM-1: 90mm, F18, 1/60s, ISO 200, -0.3EV

OM-1: 90mm, F18, 1/60s, ISO 200, -0.3EV

100% Crop

Focusing

I’ve mentioned a lot about the macro focusing capabilities of this lens already, but the 90mm F3.5 Macro lens can also be used for normal photo and video scenarios, too. The lens features a high-speed focusing system with dual focusing groups that are driven independently, which helps provide fast and precise AF performance.

With autofocusing available for macro shooting, too, the lens is easy to use with OM/Olympus cameras that feature in-camera Focus Stacking.

As mentioned, the minimum focusing distance with normal autofocusing range is 0.25m (9.84 in), but you can focus slightly closer when switched into S Macro mode. Here, you can focus down to 0.224m (8.82 in) for 2x macro magnification.

OM-1: 90mm, F16, 1/60s, ISO 200

Pricing & Availability

The OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO will go on sale in March 2023 for $1,499.99 in the U.S. and $2,049.99 CAD.

A full, in-depth review of the OM System 90mm F3.5 Macro IS Pro lens is in the works, so stay tuned for more. For an initial sampling of more real-world images, head over to our OMÂ 90mm F3.5 Macro Gallery.

The post Hands-on with OM System’s new high-end 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO lens appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Sigma has debuted yet another reformulation of a popular, high-quality Art-series prime lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras, with the new 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art lens for Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras. Building upon the foundation of the earlier 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens for DSLR systems, the new DG DN version features an all-new optical formula, a faster linear motor-based AF system, and a refreshed exterior design with a locking, de-clickable aperture ring and an AFL button. Like other Sigma “DG DN” mirrorless lenses, this new fast 50mm prime has been upgraded for improved optical quality, better AF performance and to offer a better usability experience for these modern camera systems.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/6400, ISO 100

Key Features & Specs

• Professional-level, Sigma Art-series‚ standard lens with fast F1.4 aperture
• Updated optical design with‚ 14 elements in 11 groups
• Lens includes 3 aspherical and 1 SLD elements
• F1.4-F16 aperture range
• 11-bladed circular aperture diaphragm
• HLA linear-motor focusing system
• Manual aperture ring with locking switch and de-click toggle
• AFL button and‚ AF/MF focus mode‚ switch
• Weather-sealed construction
• Dimensions (L x D): 109.5mm x 78.2mm (4.3 in. x 3.1 in.)
• Weight: 670g (23.6 oz.)
• Available in Sony E-mount and L-mount
• $849 MSRP

Design & Handling

The new Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art lens shares the same general design language as previous Art series lenses, with a rugged yet sleek and modern styling with a mixture of matte on the main barrel coating and a shinier black coating on the metal lens mount area. The majority of the lens, including the large focusing ring and aperture ring, are covered in ridged texturing, making it easy to grip and hold the lens pretty much anywhere. I’ve not noticed many lenses having a “grip area” on a non-movable portion of the lens barrel, but the Sigma 50mm F1.4 has some gripped texturing along the underside and around the right side of the barrel piece between the focus ring and aperture ring — a nice little attention to detail, I think. There’s also a little soft-touch coating around the rim of the locking snap-on lens hood, and a thin ridged ring on the hood, too. A nice touch!

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While this new Sigma 50mm Art lens takes after the original “DG HSM” version that Sigma made for DSLR cameras, this new mirrorless features an updated design both inside and out. The lens is still somewhat large for a 50mm F1.4 full-frame lens, but this new DG DN model is quite a bit lighter than the DSLR version, coming in at 670g compared to 810g with the older model. However, this mirrorless version is ever-so-slightly longer than the older model. According to Sigma, one of the ways in which they achieved weight reduction was by optimizing the optical layout and using a lighter focusing lens.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/3200, ISO 100

In the hand, despite the somewhat large and heavy(ish) design, the lens feels fantastic. Mounted to a Sony A7R IV, the combination is comfortable and balanced, with no feeling of front-heaviness at all. The Sigma 50mm F1.4 and the Sony A7R IV are certainly not an “ultra-compact” combination by any means, but the pairing still felt easy to carry around and very portable. The build quality, too, is excellent, just as I’ve experienced with other Sigma Art-series lenses.

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I seem to always back to the phrase “built like a tank” whenever I use Sigma lenses, especially their Art and Sports series lenses, and this new Art series prime is no exception. Though Sigma’s specs don’t specify, the 50mm F1.4 DG DN lens is likely constructed of a combination of materials, namely their Thermally Stable Composite material and another metal material. The lens feels as if it’s made of metal, and the construction is top-notch. Everything feels solid and high-quality. The large focusing ring is buttery-smooth and has a nice amount of rotational resistance.

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The aperture ring also rotates with a nice precision. The aperture markings have light but solid-feeling detents at third-stop increments. There is also a de-click toggle, which lets the aperture ring make smooth iris adjustments, making this lens a good option for video shooters, too. There’s also a locking switch for the aperture ring, which locks the aperture ring into the A (auto) position. This helps prevent accidental aperture changes (the A position allows for manual aperture control via the attached camera). Interestingly, the lock switch can still be slid into its locked position while the ring is set to any particular aperture, but the ring will not be locked into place — it only locks when in the A position.

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As mentioned earlier, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art lens features a throughout dust- and splash-resistant construction, including a rubbery gasket around the lens mount. The lens also has a water- and oil-resistant coating applied to the front element.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

Optics

In terms of the optical layout, this is another area of difference compared to the DSLR version from a few years ago. Despite being lighter than the older model, this new lens, in fact, uses more optical elements, albeit just one more. The new lens uses 14 total elements, whereas the‚ DG HSM Art has 13 elements. These 14 elements are arranged into 11 groups, and the lens includes three aspherical elements and a single SLD (special low dispersion) element. These specialized elements help to suppress astigmatism and field curvature as well as help combat chromatic aberrations. Sigma also states that sagittal coma flare has been minimized, which should help if you opt to use this lens for night-sky photography. The lens also features Super Multi-Layer Coating, which helps to reduce ghosting and flare.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

Sigma says that image quality in the corners has been optimized, and in my initial impressions, this seems to be the case. While the lens I’ve used is running pre-production firmware — so I am hesitant to make any final judgments on image quality at this time — the image quality performance so far is very impressive. Even at F1.4, sharpness and detail in both the central and out into the far corners are very sharp. With a longer focal length and a fast aperture, it’s easy to have a very shallow depth of field and thus capture images with a sharp subject somewhere in the central area of the frame and then have softer corners, however if you get the framing and the focus just right, you can get images with excellent sharpness across the frame.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/5000, ISO 100

In other areas, chromatic aberration appears well controlled, though you can see a bit of longitudinal chromatic aberration or “bokeh fringing” when shooting at F1.4. However, this is overall very minor and not all that uncommon on lenses like this. I also spotted a little bit of purple fringing on some high-contrast edges, but again this was extremely mild and I really had to pixel-peep in order to see it. (Also, please keep in mind this was a pre-production camera, so image quality could change somewhat by the time it’s released.)

I also saw some vignetting at F1.4, but I am personally okay with some corner shading, especially when shooting at fast apertures. Stopping down a bit helped to eliminate the vignetting.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/3200, ISO 100

Autofocus

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art features an updated autofocusing system, switching away from the HSM, or hypersonic motor, of the DSLR version to a more modern and faster linear motor focusing system. Most of Sigma’s previous “DG DN” lenses have utilized a stepping motor autofocusing system, which is both fast and quiet, but this 50mm F1.4 is the first Art-series mirrorless lens to use Sigma’s newer “HLA” linear motor (High-response Linear Actuator) to power the autofocusing system. We first saw this HLA focusing motor system debut in the 60-600mm DG DN Sports lens, but now this new fast 50mm prime gets the latest AF tech, too! With this new focus motor, the AF group is directly driven with a linear motor, which should offer faster, more precise and quieter autofocusing performance. What’s more, the optical layout of this 50mm F1.4 lens is designed in such a way that the “focusing group” is just one lens, a single double-sided aspheric lens. As such, the HLA focusing motor only needs to move a small, lightweight lens element, which results in very fast and responsive focusing. In the field, I found focusing to be extremely quick and responsive, with both single-shot AF and continuous AF on the Sony A7R IV.

Sony A7R IV: 50mm, F1.4, 1/8000, ISO 100

Lastly,‚ the 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art isn’t really built for macro shooting with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:6.8 and a minimum close-focusing distance of around 45cm (1.48 ft.). Likely due to the revamped optical design, the close-focusing distance is a bit longer than the older DG HSM DSLR version of this lens. Therefore it’s not great for true macro shooting, but can still focus relatively close, making it great for up-close portraits, product shots, etc. In use, I do feel like the minimum focusing distance was a bit too long, and there were a few times when I tried to focus on a close-up object but had to back up due to the minimum focusing distance.

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Pricing & Availability‚

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art will be available for Sony E-mount and L-Mount cameras for $849 in late February 2023.

– Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art Gallery‚ -‚

The post Sigma updates their fast 50mm F1.4 Art lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Canon R50 Hands-on Preview

Canon’s most affordable R-series camera offers an impressive entry in their mirrorless system

Canon is going full-steam ahead with their R-series of mirrorless cameras, continuing to broaden their customer base with two new models aimed towards more beginner and advanced amateur creators. Last year, Canon introduced the R10 and R7 mirrorless cameras, the first R-series cameras with APS-C sensors, and we now have a third option, the Canon EOS R50. Announced alongside a new EOS R8 full-frame model, this new ultra-compact APS-C R50 model sits right below the EOS R10 in the Canon R-series lineup and is, at this time, the most entry-level and affordable model with a body-only price of under $700.

The new R50 is what Canon is considering an “advanced entry-level” camera, one that’s designed for the beginner photographer or video shooter but a camera that still has a little more features and flexibility that customers with some experience and knowledge of cameras will feel at home with this model, too. They are squarely pushing this camera towards those looking to step up from a smartphone camera and get better image quality and more versatility to capture different kinds of images and video.

R50 + RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM: 100mm, F8, 1/200s, ISO 3200, -0.6EV

Canon’s R series lineup is getting a bit crowded, which is a bit surprising given the system’s fairly young age overall, especially when you look at the full-frame offerings. However, the situation with Canon’s APS-C mirrorless cameras is also a little confusing, as the R7, R10 and now the R50 going up against Canon’s existing M-series of APS-C mirrorless cameras. Canon says that the new R50 is, in fact, aimed at the same target audience as the popular EOS M50 Mark II (which has been selling like gangbusters, though Canon wouldn’t tell us actual sales figures). There is definitely some overlap now in Canon’s camera offerings, with models like the new R50 and R10 competing directly with cameras like the M50 II and M200. However, Canon was quick to state that the R50 was, for example, not directly replacing the M50 Mark II, nor is the M-series being discontinued. The M50 II and M200 would remain in Canon’s camera lineup for now.

We’re speculating a bit, but it seems obvious the Canon M-series cameras’ days are numbered. We’re not likely to see any new models or lenses for that platform, but Canon will most likely continue to sell these products as stock remains. How long that process will last, we do not know. However, it’s clear that Canon is trying to focus its camera lines down to a one-lens mount arrangement, at least when it comes to their mirrorless cameras. For Canon, when it comes to mirrorless, the R series and the RF-mount is the future.

R50 + RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM: 32mm, F5.6, 1/200s, ISO 100, -0.3EV

Getting back to the Canon R50 itself, we had an opportunity to test out the new APS-C mirrorless camera for a couple of days, along with the new Canon R8 as well, at a Canon-organized press event. If you’re curious to see what this new compact and impressively small and light APS-C camera can do, read on for an in-depth, hands-on preview and an array of real-world gallery images.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t hang onto the camera at this time, so a full hands-on review and lab testing will be added here as soon as we get a review sample.

With that, let’s dive in…

Key Features & Specs

• Compact, advanced entry-level RF-mount mirrorless camera
• 24.2MP APS-C CMOS image sensor
• DIGIC X image processor
• ISO range: 100-32000 (native); Expanded high: ISO 51,200
• No mechanical shutter: only 1st curtain electronic shutter & all-electronic shutter
• Continuous shooting rates: 15fps (1st curtain elec.), 12fps (electronic shutter)
• 4K 30p video uncropped
• Full HD 60p
• High-speed video up to 1080p 120fps
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with People, Animal, Vehicle Subject Detection
• Camera designed for full-automatic shooting with more Automatic Assist shooting modes
• Body-only: $679.99; RF 18-45mm Kit: $799.99; Two Lens Kit: $1029.99

Design & Handling

While the Canon R50 may not use the “Rebel” branding like their entry-level DSLRs, the new R50 looks and feels like a spiritual successor in a way to Canon’s advanced Rebel cameras, such as the T8i, or even the tiny Rebel SL3 when you consider the R50’s physical dimensions. The R50’s design is ultra-light and compact, and the controls and buttons are dialed back to provide a more simplified user experience. Though the R50 doesn’t technically replace the EOS M50 Mark II, it’s targeted towards the same audience: casual users who want something that’s not super bare-bones and entry-level, but are still wanting a camera for photos and video that can offer better quality and more versatility than their smartphone. A camera with higher quality but still a streamlined, easy-to-use experience.

Alongside the new R8, I had a chance to test out the svelte Canon R50 for a couple of days, and as you might expect, the first thing you notice when you pick up the camera is just how small and lightweight it is. The camera is impressively small, despite the large-diameter RF-mount and APS-C sensor. The large RF-mount flange dominates the front of the camera. The R50 weighs just 375g (0.83 lbs.) for the body alone (and battery), and when paired with the RF-S 18-45mm kit lens — itself weighing a paltry 130g (4.6oz) — the R50 kit weighs less than the Canon Rebel SL3. The R50 is also smaller than the SL3!

Despite the small size, the R50 still has a nice, prominent handgrip for this class of camera, though it certainly doesn’t fill my hand like a larger camera would. Nonetheless, the camera’s grip has good contouring and overall pleasing ergonomics for an ultra-compact interchangeable lens camera, at least from a pure handling standpoint. When it comes to the control layout, however, this is where you start to see compromises and omissions, especially if you’re someone like me who’s accustomed to more advanced cameras with lots of physical controls and dials.

Looking around the camera, it’s a much more simplistic experience regarding the buttons and dials. On the top of the camera, you have just a basic cluster of controls on the right side, and that’s all. There’s the shutter release button and a mode dial, as you’d expect. But apart from the on/off switch, there are only three other buttons: a single control dial, a movie record button and an ISO button. I do think the dedicated ISO button is a nice touch, especially for those photographers already have some experience with cameras and photography basics.

However, a couple of things threw me off when using this camera for the first time. For one thing, there is only a single command dial on the top of the camera, and while that’s not really that uncommon for a camera of this class, I am just so used to having at least one more control dial on the camera somewhere. I am so used to this that I found myself accidentally rotating the Mode Dial with my thumb thinking I was changing an exposure parameter. The placement of the Mode Dial here towards the back edge of the camera didn’t help, either; it’s right above the rear thumb grip and was easy to adjust inadvertently with my thumb. A new user or someone picking up this type of camera for the first time would probably not have this issue, but it’s certainly something I noticed right away.

Moving to the back of the camera, we again see only a small selection of buttons, all of which are located off to the right side of the camera. However, the standard set of controls are all there, including a Menu button, Info button, Playback button, plus a Quick Menu/SET button surrounded by a 4-way directional control with various pre-assigned mode options. Finally, the AEL/AFL and AF point/area adjustment buttons are both placed within easy reach right next to the thumb rest. It’s a very familiar and easy-to-use control layout, but more advanced users may notice a distinct last of a critical control: a joystick.

I remember a time when cameras didn’t come with multi-directional or joystick-style control (my Olympus E-M1 II doesn’t have one, for example). Still, it seems like almost every camera has this type of control these days. It’s an excellent control for instantly moving the AF point around, and with a mirrorless camera, you can usually put the AF point/area essentially anywhere in the frame. So, when a new camera is lacking this now-common control, it feels especially noticeable, at least to me.

Canon has really pushed the R50 to be used via its touchscreen LCD, which is fine and certainly a familiar way to interact with the camera if you’re coming from a smartphone. It’s also designed to be used in Automatic shooting modes, which sometimes doesn’t allow you to manually select the AF point to begin with. The lack of a joystick to move the AF point around can be a little frustrating for those who like some control. The new R8 lacks a joystick, too, but you are allowed to reprogram the camera’s 4-way directional controls to instantly control the placement of the AF point. However, the R50, oddly, does not have this functionality.

In terms of displays, the EOS R50 has both an EVF and a vari-angle LCD touchscreen. The EVF in the R50 is essentially the same as one the one in the R10, with a 0.39-inch OLED panel with 2.36-million dots of resolution and a 0.95x magnification factor or approximately a 28-degree field of view, a 22mm eye point, and provides about 100% frame coverage. For a more entry-level-focused camera, the EVF looks pretty good in the field, with decent sharpness and feels fairly large for this class of camera. The LCD panel is also similar to the one on the R10, though the R50’s has a bit more resolution at 1.62-million dots compared to 1.04-million on the R10. The overall display is still a 3.0-inch TFT LCD with adjustable brightness and vari-angle articulation.

Overall, the Canon R50 offers a good user experience for the most part when it comes to handling and usability. The camera is incredible small and highly-portable yet still has that characteristically well-built Canon quality that we’ve come to expect. It’s not the most rugged camera, but still feels solid and nicely built. The controls are stripped down to just the essentials, which is perfect for a more beginner-oriented camera. There are a few controls, such as the joystick, that more advanced users will certainly miss on this camera. However, if you’re a beginner or used to a more touchscreen-oriented way of interacting with your camera, the EOS R50 works very well.

R50 + RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM: 400mm, F8, 1/640s, ISO 1000

Image Quality

When it comes to the imaging pipeline of the new Canon R50, this new model is essentially the same as the Canon R10. They share the same newly-designed 24.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and use the same latest-generation DIGIC X image processor. Both cameras offers the same ISO range, as well, with a native range spanning 100 – 32,000, with expandable ISOs down to a low ISO 50 and up to ISO 51,200. Overall, the image quality performance should be similar, if not the same, as the R10.

In terms of just the sensor, Canon makes several other crop-sensor cameras with a 24.2MP resolution, such as the M50 Mark II. Now, officially Canon isn’t saying the R50 replaces the M50 Mark II, but this camera is targeted towards the same customer and it’s very likely the R50 will become the de-facto successor. Despite having the same resolution, Canon states that 24MP sensor in the R50 (and R10) is a newly-designed chip. Plus, when combined with the newer imaging processor, users should see improved image quality performance and better High ISO quality. Canon stated that customers should expect noticeable improvements in image quality compared to the M50 Mark II.

In addition to the usual RAW and RAW+JPEG image capture modes, the R50 also offers HDR shooting and HDR-PQ options for displaying higher dynamic range images on specialized HDR10-compatible devices, such as iPad Pros and the latest iPhones. You can also save higher-quality 10-bit HEIF images from RAW files.

R50 + RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM: 400mm, F8, 1/800s, ISO 800, -0.6EV

Now, while you can shoot in RAW, as you would with most Canon EOS cameras, Canon stressed that R50 was designed for fully automatic shooting as well. If you want to pick up the camera and a kit lens and start shooting and perhaps you’re not familiar with apertures or shutter speeds or how to adjust the camera to get nice blurry backgrounds, for instance, the R50 has several built-in automatic shooting modes to help the more novice photographer capture the images they want.

The Creative Assist mode, within the A+ (“Green Box”) shooting mode, has a variety of on-screen options that will guide you visually in the adjustments and changes you can make to help you achieve the photo you’re after. The camera also has a Creative Bracketing mode that will capture a single frame but will save several other version with different looks and filters applied (it’ll still work with RAW+JPEG enabled, so you have a RAW file, too).

The R50 also introduces a new “Advanced A+” mode that is and sort of isn’t a “computational photography” shooting mode. Canon was a little coy in straight-up calling this mode a computational photography mode, oddly enough. However, if you enable this full-automatic shooting mode via the on-screen icon and fire off a shot, the camera will actually take several images rapidly, analyze the results, and automatically adjust things to make a final image. The camera assess shadows and highlights, adjust for under-exposures or boost contrast, or even analyze the scene for greater depth of field. We’re not sure how it all works yet, as Canon didn’t describe it much in-depth.

R50 + RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM: 42mm, F9, 1/320s, ISO 100 – Advanced A+

R50 + RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM: 18mm, F5, 1/320s, ISO 100 – Advanced A+

In use, you definitely notice the fully-automatic nature of shooting mode. It’s really a point-and-shoot experience; you can’t adjust your focusing point, for instance. It’s all automatic. As you compose your scene, the camera will pick the focus mode and what to focus on, adjust and indicate the kind of scene it thinks you’re trying to photograph, such as a macro shot, landscape, etc. When you finally fire off a shot, there is a brief pause and the camera will say “BUSY” on the LCD while image processing is happening. It’s a very brief pause, fortunately, but it’s certainly not a mode to use if you’re capturing fast action.

Overall, from my time with the camera so far, the image quality performance is quite good out of this tiny little camera. Similar to my colleague Jeremy Gray’s experience with the Canon R8, we only had a very short time with these new cameras. RAW file support is also not yet available beyond just a pre-production version of Canon’s in-house raw processing software. So this initial assessment is based on just JPEG images, but images look very good straight out of camera, at both low and higher ISOs.

R50 + RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM: 18mm, F4.5, 1/2000s, ISO 100, -0.6EV

Images at low ISOs display a lot of fine detail, pleasing, accurate colors, and good contrast. I had the chance to shoot at higher ISOs quite a bit, thanks to some slower-aperture lenses I tried and the cloudy, overcast conditions we shot in on the first day. Fortunately, the little R50 does well at higher ISO, too. The high ISO images are quite impressive for an APS-C camera of this class. Noise is very well controlled at the R50’s default level of NR processing. Of course, if you zoom-in you can definitely see the NR processing at work, and to my eye, the noise reduction is a bit strong for my personal taste. However, it still does a good job and removing a lot of egregious noise while preserving some nice, sharp detail.

Once we get a R50 in-house and raw processing software is updated to handle these new RAW files, we’ll take a deeper dive into the image quality performance. So stayed tuned for our in-depth review!

R50 + RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM: 400mm, F8, 1/800s, ISO 5000, -0.6EV

Autofocus & Performance

Even though the R50 is a sub-$700 camera designed for more entry-level creators, Canon didn’t shy away from giving it a fairly impressive autofocusing system, including intelligence subject-detection modes. Like pretty much all of Canon’s modern mirrorless cameras, the new EOS R50 features Dual Pixel CMOS AF with on-sensor phase-detection autofocusing. Autofocus coverage spans the entire sensor area, so no matter where your subject is in the frame, the camera should be able to focus on it; face-detection and Tracking AF work across the entire sensor area.

If you want to manually select your AF point, the R50 has selectable AF points across 90% of the horizontal and 100% of the vertical area. The camera has 4503 selectable AF point positions (79 x 57), and for automatic AF zone selection, the camera offers 651 zones in a 31 x 21 grid. Autofocusing is rated low-light situations down -4EV.

The camera offers a wide array of AF point options, including Spot AF and Single-point AF, a couple of Expand AF area modes, three Flexible Zone AF modes and Whole Area AF. The camera also includes subject-tracking AF with its continuous AF (Servo AF) mode.

Beyond manual subject tracking, the R50 also features intelligent subject-detection modes, much like their higher-end mirrorless cameras. The system here isn’t as advanced as the EOS R7 or R6 II, for example, but the R50 can still automatically detect and track People (faces, eyes), Animals (dogs, cats, birds), and Vehicles (cars, motorcycles). The camera is even sophisticated enough to have an Auto mode and will automatically switch subject-detection preset upon detecting that type of object in the scene. Overall, it’s quite impressive the amount of AF tech put into this little entry-level camera, and it works quite well from what I’ve seen so far.

R50 + RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM: 400mm, F8, 1/640s, ISO 500, -0.3EV

Dual Pixel CMOS AF inside the R50 is very fast, accurate and responsive for general shooting both with single-shot AF and Servo AF, just like I’ve experienced with other Canon cameras that have Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The addition of subject detection makes the camera even easier to use. The camera could quickly and accurately detect the faces and eyes of various subjects, both with people and animals, and continued to track as they moved or as I moved to recompose my shots. Further testing is needed for a definitive verdict, but so far, the R50’s AF system works very well.

Now, in terms of burst performance, the Canon R50 is pretty good, but as you can imagine, it’s not a speed demon designed for intense sports and action subjects. Continuous shooting speeds vary depending on the shutter mode used, and they are pretty decent overall, but it’s the buffer depth that will hamper burst performance for serious sports and action pursuits. It’s just not that category of camera.

Like the R8, the Canon R50 lacks a fully mechanical shutter mode, opting just for an Electronic 1st-curtain Shutter mode and a fully-electronic shutter mode. In 1st curtain shutter mode, the maximum burst rate is a still-decent 12fps with either One-Shot AF and Servo AF. Switching to Electronic Shutter mode will give you a little speed boost up to 15fps with both One-shot and Servo AF. (Note: the 12fps 1st-curtain maximum burst mode will work with Servo AF, but AE, flash metering, and white balance will not change past the first frame during a burst sequence.)

R50 + RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM: 335mm, F8, 1/800s, ISO 200, -0.3EV

On the other hand, Buffer depths are pretty restrictive, but you must keep in mind the class of camera here. With the 12fps 1st-curtain maximum burst mode, buffer capacity is rated up to 42 JPEG frames, or 28 JPEG frames in the 15fps electronic shutter burst mode. Enabling RAW or RAW+JPEG severely restricts buffer capacity to just 7 frames with RAW or RAW+JPEG (or RAW+HEIF). Opting for Canon’s compressed C-RAW format will give you a bit more room with up to 15 frames for just C-RAW or 13 frames for C-RAW+JPEG/HEIF.

It’s also worth pointing out that the R50 has just a single UHS-I-speed SD card slots (the higher-end R10 has a UHS-II card slot).

Video: First Canon APS-C camera with uncropped 4K video

The little Canon R50 isn’t a video creator’s ideal camera by any means, but it’s no slouch for casual creators who want high-quality 4K video without spending an arm and leg. In fact, the R50 is Canon’s first entry-level EOS APS-C camera with uncropped 4K video. Indeed, 4K video can be recorded at up to 30fps using the full-width of the sensor and is derived from a 6K oversampled signal.

Full HD video is also available at standard recording (with audio) up to 60fps, or High Frame Rate shooting at up to 120fps (no audio recorded).

Unlike the R7 or R8 cameras, the Canon R50 does not have a headphone jack, but it does include a 3.5mm microphone input jack.

Dual Pixel CMOS AF also functions during video recording, and you still have access to the handy subject-detection systems as you have in photo modes. You can track people, animals and vehicles in video as well.

R50 + RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM: 28mm, F5, 1/1000s, ISO 100, -0.3EV

Pricing & Availability

The Canon EOS R50 camera body will be available for an estimated retail price $679.99. The EOS R50 with the RF-S 18-45mm 4.5-6.3 IS STM lens kit will be available for an estimated retail price of $799.99. The EOS R50 with the RF-S 18-45mm 4.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM lenses will be available for an estimated retail price of $1,029.00.

The RF-S55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM lens will also be sold on its own, and will have an estimated retail price of $349.99.

All products are currently scheduled to be available in Spring 2023.

The post Canon R50 Review appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Creators looking for a versatile wide-angle zoom have yet another reason to check out Sony’s offerings, as they have announced another wide-to-standard zoom lens — though one with a rather unique focal length range that makes it stand out amongst the crowd. The new Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G lens provides photographers and video creators with a single-lens solution that offers both an ultra-wide 20mm field of view and a portrait-friendly 70mm and yet remains surprisingly compact and highly portable.

At this point, no other full-frame mirrorless lens offers this exact combination of zoom range, constant aperture and size. Sony’s had a 24-105mm F4 G lens for years now — and it’s a common type of lens in the photo world in general — but this is the first time this style of zoom lens has shifted the other way, with a wider field of view while still offering that mid-telephoto reach. The wider field of view also makes it a uniquely capable lens for video creators shooting solo or vlog-style videos.

A7 IV: 42mm, F5.6, 1/1000s, ISO 100

Key Features & Specs:

• Compact and lightweight ultra-wide-to-standard zoom lens for full-frame E-mount
• 20-70mm focal length range (30-105mm-eq. on APS-C)
• F4-F22 aperture range with 9-bladed circular aperture
• 16 elements in 13 groups, including 2 AA, 3 ED, 1 ED Aspherical, and 1 Aspherical element
• 0.39x maximum magnification
• 0.25m (9.8″) minimum focus
• 2x XD Linear motor AF system
• Linear Response focus motors
• Active Mode image stabilizaton compatible
• Manual aperture ring with de-click toggle switch
• Aperture (iris) lock switch
• 2 customizable Focus Hold function buttons
• 72mm filter thread
• Weight: 488g (17.2 oz.)
• Dimensions (L x D): 99mm x 78.8mm (3.89 in. x 3.09 in.)
• Dust and moisture resistant construction; Fluorine coating
• MSRP: $1,099 USD ($1,499 CAD)

Design & Handling

Despite the versatile zoom range, the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G lens is surprisingly small and lightweight, especially for a full-frame, constant-aperture zoom lens. It’s still a bit larger and heavier than the FE 24-70mm F4 Zeiss lens from 2014, though not by much. That earlier lens weighs 426g compared to the 488g of this new 20-70mm lens, and is also shorter and slimmer. The FE 20-70mm measures 99mm in length with a diameter of 78.8mm, while the FE 24-70mm Zeiss lens is 94.5mm (3.72in) in length with a diameter of 73mm (2.87in). However, the FE 20-70mm is smaller and lighter than the FE 16-35mm F4 Zeiss and the FE 24-105mm F4 G. Beyond Sony’s own offerings, the FE 20-70mm F4 lens is also lighter and more compact than the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 and Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 lenses, although of course these two alternatives have brighter F2.8 apertures. Still, no lens on the market matches the same focal length range of the 20-70mm with an F4 aperture.

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The design of this lens to incorporate a 20mm focal length is a response by Sony to address the growing demand from vloggers and other solo content creators who often shoot video “selfie-style” and need a wider field of view to record themselves as well as provide location context in their scenes. A full-frame perspective at 20mm is ideal for shooting photos and video “at arm’s length,” whereas the traditional 24mm and 28mm focal lengths are just not wide enough to fully capture the subject and the surroundings. At the same time, the ability to zoom all the way to 70mm provides amazing versatility beyond your standard “ultra-wide angle” lens. Creators can easily capture dramatic landscapes and street scenes as well as portraits and other general “standard lens” subjects all with a single, easy-to-carry lens.

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Design-wise, the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G lens shares the same modern styling as other recent Sony G-series lenses, with a matte black finish and a durable yet well-built polycarbonate barrel with a metal lens mount. It has a pretty understated design, but it does have some nice amenities that sets it apart from some of its competitors and alternatives. Notably, the lens features a manual aperture ring, with markings and soft clicks at each one-third stop between F4-F22. There is also an “A” or auto position, which let you control the aperture via the attached camera. Further, the aperture ring can be “de-clicked” for smooth iris control — one of the lens’s several video-centric features. The aperture ring also has a lock switch. You can lock the aperture ring into the “A” position, to help ensure that the aperture can’t be changed accidentally via the control ring.

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The lens also features two customizable function buttons between the zoom and focus rings; one right on top and another on the left side. By default, both of these buttons serve as Focus Hold buttons, but you can reprogram these to a number of other functions and settings to suit your shooting needs.

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Lastly, the zooming functionality works as expected; the lens is a telescoping design and increases in length as you zoom to the longer focal lengths. Zooming to 70mm will add a little over 1.5 inches in additional length to the lens. The zoom ring rotates very smoothly, and it take a little under 45 degrees of rotation to zoom through the full range. The focusing ring sits at the end of the lens and is about a half-inch wide and slightly thinner than the zoom ring. Both rings have a rubbery, ridged surface for easy grip. Like most Sony E-mount lenses, the 20-70mm lens is a focus-by-wire design, which is a fully electronically-controlled focusing ring. The ring rotates very smoothly (much more easily than the zoom ring) and will rotate freely without any hard or soft stops at either end of the focusing range. The lens does have what Sony calls “Linear Response Motors,” which allows for a responsive and precise focusing behavior when operating focus manually.

A7 IV: 38mm, F4, 1/500, ISO 100

Image Quality

When it comes to the optical layout, the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G lens uses 16 total elements situated into 13 groups and includes several specialized lens elements to suppress chromatic aberrations and ensure sharp image quality across the frame. The lens includes one aspherical element, two AA (advanced aspherical) elements to help minimize chromatic aberrations as well as three ED (extra-low dispersion) and one ED aspherical element to help further reduce CA and spherical aberrations. The lens also features a 9-bladed circular aperture diaphragm to help ensure smooth bokeh.

A7 IV: 70mm, F4, 1/320s, ISO 100

Unlike the previous FE 24-70mm F4 Zeiss or the FE 24-105mm F4 G lenses, the FE 20-70mm F4 lens does not feature on-board optical image stabilization and instead relies on in-body SteadyShot from the camera for any stabilization correction. The FE 20-70mm is compatible with Sony cameras that offer “Active Mode” image stabilization for stills and video, which is an additional electronic-based image stabilization mode for even smoother, steadier images. This Active Mode IS does crop in on the image slightly. However, given the wider field of view from the 20mm focal length, users can still get an ultra-wide field of view when using Active Mode IS without significant changes to their composition or framing.

A7 IV: 20mm, F5.6, 1/250s, ISO 100

In the field, the FE 20-70mm offers very good image quality, even when shooting wide open at F4. Across the zoom range, sharpness in the centers looks very good with excellent resolving power, even at F4, at both 20mm and 70mm. Corner performance is also quite good, though I did find that stopping down some will help sharpen up the corners. I noticed some corner softness at 35mm, 50mm and 70mm at the wider apertures, but stopping down definitely improved the sharpness performance, with optimal sharpness occurring between F8-F11.

A7 IV: 50mm, F4.0, 1/640s, ISO 100

50mm F4 – Upper Left Corner (JPEG)

50mm F5.6 – Upper Left Corner (JPEG)

50mm F8 – Upper Left Corner (JPEG)

50mm F11 – Upper Left Corner (JPEG)

Interestingly, at 20mm, the corner performance is quite good, even at F4. Detail in very far corners looks surprisingly good at F4, and I didn’t see as much of a change in corner sharpness when stopping as I did at the longer focal length. However, you can improve sharpness slightly by stopping down a bit. There’s some mild purple fringing present here as well in the corners. I also noticed a subtle bit of vignetting at 20mm F4 that clears up when you stop down to F5.6.

A7 IV: 20mm, F4.0, 1/400s, ISO 100

F4 Corner (JPEG)

F8 Corner (JPEG)

The lens handles diffraction-related softness pretty well, and in most situations sharpess is great down to F11. You can start to see some softening by F16, however, and more so at F22.

For more sample images and sharpness series test shots, check out our Sony 20-70mm Gallery.

Now, all that being said, it’s immediately clear when looking at the RAW files compared to straight-out-of-camera JPEGs that Sony is relying heavily on in-camera optical corrections, especially at 20mm. Looking at uncorrected RAW files, you can see that Sony incorporates some noticeable distortion correction at all focal lengths, but it’s most evident at 20mm. At this widest focal length, the lens exhibits some heavy barrel distortion, and the far corners are black from heavy vignetting — the uncorrected 20mm RAW file almost appears like it was shot with a fisheye lens almost. However, the Sony in-camera corrections here work surprisingly well, which is a great thing. As camera processing has gotten increasingly better over the years, optical designers can instead make more drastic choices in optical designs and create lenses that are smaller and lighter and less reliant on large, often heavy optical formulas for ideal optical performance. It’s a trade-off; smaller and lighter and relying more heavily on software, or larger, heavier designs that are optically great right out of the box. There are pros and cons to either way, of course. Smaller and lighter lenses are great for usability and portability, but if you like to edit RAW files and don’t use editing software that’s compatible with a given lens’s correction profile, then you’ll have some extra work on your hands to make your images look great.

20mm – JPEG

20mm – Uncorrected RAW

20mm – JPEG

20mm – Uncorrected RAW

Focusing

Like many of Sony’s highest-end G Master lenses, the new FE 20-70mm lens uses XD Linear Motors for its focusing system, and not just a single motor, but a double XD Linear Motor setup. This helps provide incredibly fast and precise focusing as well as essentially silent operation, making this an excellent lens for video creators.

In use, the Sony FE 20-70mm offers excellent focusing performance, much as I’ve experienced with other recent Sony lenses. Focusing speed feels nearly instantaneous with both short focusing adjustments and larger ones. It takes less than a second to focus from the minimum focusing distance to infinity.

A7 IV: 54mm, F5.6, 1/640s, ISO 100

Pricing & Availability

The Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G lens is set to go on sale in February 2023 with a retail price of $1,099 USDÂ ($1,499 CAD).

• Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G Gallery Images •

The post Hands-on with Sony’s new FE 20-70mm F4 G lens, a highly versatile, standard zoom that goes extra wide appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Wildlife, nature, and outdoor sports photographers should all take notice, as Sigma has added yet another extremely versatile telephoto zoom to its arsenal of mirrorless lenses. The new Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports for Sony E-mount and L-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras is unique amongst Sigma’s existing telephoto zooms for mirrorless cameras — and indeed the full-frame mirrorless market as a whole — being the world’s only 10x optical zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

The new Sigma 60-600mm fits in alongside their 100-400mm DG DN Contemporary and 150-600mm DG DN Sports lenses as yet another option for a versatile telephoto zoom. Meanwhile, Tamron also has their selection of competitors (at least for E-mount systems), including a 100-400mm, a 150-600mm and a somewhat similar 50-400mm wide-ranging zoom lens. However, nothing so far can match the sheer zoom range versatility of Sigma’s new 60-600mm lens, offering an impressive all-in-one lens spanning standard focal lengths, telephoto and supertelephoto.

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DSLR owners and eagle-eyed Sigma fans may recognize a similar lens, the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens, which was released back in 2018. This new mirrorless version of the new “Bigma” lens, however, is more than just a mount change for newer mirrorless camera systems. It’s an all-new lens, with a different optical formula, new focusing capabilities, an all-new autofocusing system, improved image stabilization, updated design and much more.

This is essentially a do-it-all lens for any sort of outdoor or telephoto shooting pursuits, and if you’re a Sony or L-mount system photographer looking for a single-lens solutions for nature, wildlife, sports, safaris and beyond, the new Sigma 60-60mm DG DN Sports lens is worth considering.

I’ve had an opportunity to test out a pre-production sample of this new Bigma lens paired up with a Sony A7 IV. Read on for a full rundown of the new lens’s specs and features as well as a sampling of real-world gallery images and some thoughts on usability and handling.

Sony A7 IV: 556mm, F6.3, 1/2500, ISO 1600 (JPEG)

Key Features & Specs

• All-in-one 10x telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless
• Updated optical design with 27 elements in 19 groups (incl. 2 FLD and 3 SLD elements)
• Optical Image Stabilization with 6 stops at 600mm; 7 stops at 60mm
• Newly-designed HLA linear motor-based autofocusing system
• Dual action zooming mechanism (zoom ring + push-pull zoom)
• Weather-sealed construction
• Multi-material construction helps reduce size and weight while remaining highly durable
• Weight: 2,495g (5.5 lbs.)
• Length: 279.2mm (11 in.) at 60mm
• Built-in Arca-Swiss-compatible tripod foot
• Screw-on lens hood
• Sony E-mount, L-mount versions
• $1999 MSPR

Optical Construction

Although this new 60-600mm lens shares the same focal length range, the same variable aperture and a generally similar physical design, the new mirrorless version of Sigma’s 60-600mm full-frame lens is indeed different than the earlier 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports for DSLR cameras and uses a different optical layout. The new 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports uses 27 optical elements, two more than the 2018 DSLR version. Both lenses, however, arrange the elements into 19 groups. This mirrorless version includes two FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements. (The DSLR version used 1 SLD and 3 FLD elements.)

Sony A7 IV: 437mm, F6.3, 1/2000, ISO 2000 (JPEG)

Sigma’s FLD glass is an ultra-low dispersion glass that behaves similar to fluorite glass, offering high light transmittance and very low dispersion that helps suppress chromatic aberration and increase sharpness and contrast. Similarly, the SLD elements are another type of low-dispersion glass element and also work to suppress chromatic aberrations, color fringing and help ensure good sharpness.

The 60-600mm DG DN lens features a 9-bladed circular aperture diaphragm for nice, smooth bokeh in out-of-focus areas and features a variable maximum aperture range of F4.5 to 6.3 — the minimum aperture at 60mm is F22 and F32 at 600mm. The lens’s maximum F4.5 aperture only stays that wide for a short while; once you zoom to 80mm, the maximum aperture narrows slightly to F5.0. It hits F5.6 at 150mm, and then F6.3 around 400mm and beyond.

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Focusing

Another major update to this new mirrorless version of the 60-600mm lens is its new autofocusing system. This lens uses a newly-developed linear motor AF system, dubbed High-response Linear Actuator (HLA), whereas the DSLR version used an HSM, or hypersonic motor mechanism to rotationally drive the focusing group. With this new lens, the AF group is directly driven with a linear motor, which should offer faster, more precise and quieter autofocusing performance. According to Sigma, the new HLA focusing motor help provide “unparalleled high speed and high precision” focusing performance as well as fast subject-tracking/follow-focusing performance.

Close-focusing is also improved slightly at the shorter end, now focusing down to 45cm (17.8 in) at 60mm. At 600mm, the minimum focusing distance remains at 260cm (102.4in). The lens’s maximum magnification is also slightly better as well, with a 1:2.4 magnification ratio at 200mm — whereas the DSLR version had a 1:3.3 ratio at 200mm. In the field, the close-focusing feels surprisingly good, especially at the shorter focal lengths, and I found myself easily capable of photographing fairly close subjects.

Sony A7 IV: 600mm, F6.3, 1/500, ISO 2500 (JPEG)

In terms of autofocusing performance, it’s too early to make final judgments. As mentioned, the lens I’ve been testing has pre-production firmware, and Sigma specifically states that the focusing performance, particularly subject-tracking performance, hasn’t been finalized yet. That being said, my experience so far has been very positive with general shooting and focusing speeds, so the fact that the lens is likely to get even better at focusing and focus tracking is excellent news. I’ve not run into any issues with focusing. Speed and accuracy are both up to the performance I expect from a high-end enthusiast zoom lens like this. Using this lens combined with the Sony A7 IV and Bird-detection AF worked wonderfully during my so far fairly short time with the lens at this point.

Design & Handling

Much like its DSLR-format sibling, the new Sigma 60-600mm DG DN is a fairly large and hefty lens, weighing in at 2,495g (5.5 lbs.) and having a retracted length of 279.2mm (11 in.). The lens is slighter than the older DSLR version, which weighed 2700g (5.9lbs), but the length is the same, as is the diameter, with a maximum diameter of 119.4mm or 4.7in. The lens features a 105mm screw-on front filter size, much like the DSLR version.

The length of the 60-600mm lens extends outwards quite a bit as you zoom, with the length increasing to about 38.1cm (15 in.) at 600mm. The screw-on lens hood itself is approximately 8.5cm (3.35in) long, and, when attached, it adds about 6.4cm (2.5 in.) to the length of the lens.

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In hand, you definitely notice the weight of this lens. It’s built like a tank, much like other Sigma Sports-series lenses I’ve used. It feels incredibly well built and sturdy. The lens is constructed with a blend of materials, including magnesium, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic and Sigma’s Thermally-Stable Composite material, which is a polycarbonate material with thermal expansion characteristics similar to aluminum. The lens is both dust- and splash-resistant, with weather sealing built around the mount, zoom and focus rings, and the various switches and buttons around the exterior. Additionally, the front element has a water and oil-repellant coating to help with cleaning and protection against dirt and moisture.

The lens doesn’t seem all that large in person, despite the impressive 10x zoom range, but you will start to notice the weight after carrying it around for a while. Paired with a Sony A7 IV, I just managed to squeeze it into my small Lowepro Flipside Sport 10L camera backpack, albeit with the lens hood reversed and no other camera gear inside. Walking around with the lens in-hand, I definitely became keenly aware of the weight after a while. That said, I still only used the lens handheld, and felt generally comfortable and balanced, even with a non-gripped Sony camera body. Supporting the lens at the large, ridged zoom ring, I was impressed by how nicely balanced the lens felt, at both 60mm and at 600mm, despite the extended length of the lens. In fact, the lens actually feels slightly more comfortable and balanced at 600mm than fully retracted to 60mm, at least with this smaller, non-gripped A7 IV attached.

Sigma 60-600mm DG DN zoomed to 600mm

In terms of external features, the Sigma 60-600mm DG DN lens has two control rings, a smaller one for focusing and a large zoom ring. The focus ring is about an inch or so wide, while the focus ring is about twice as wide. The focusing ring freely rotates whether it’s in AF or MF mode, and rotates very smoothly. The zoom ring is also very smooth, though it has much more physical resistance and dampening when you rotate it. As one might expect with a 10x zoom there’s quite a bit of rotation require to zoom through the full range, at over 90-degrees of rotation to go through the full range.

The zoom ring features focal length markings at 60mm, 80mm, 100mm, 120mm, 150mm, 200mm, 300mm, 400mm, 500mm and 600mm. The lens also has a locking switch on the lower left side. The lens does have a tendency to exhibit “lens creep” with the lens extending outwards when facing down (or vice versa), so the lock switch comes in handy when you’re not shooting and just walking around with the lens. However, you can also lock the lens’s zoom position at each of the marked focal lengths, which I think is rather clever and a helpful feature. If you’re shooting a longer focal length and pointing the lens upwards, the lens can start to retract slowly on its own, so the lock switch can prevent this. That’s a nice, helpful usability feature that I don’t always see on long-zooming lenses.

Sony A7 IV: 90mm, F6.3, 1/400, ISO 100 (JPEG)

Speaking of zooming, in addition to the zoom ring, the Sigma 60-600mm can also be operated as push-pull zoom lens. There is a ridge right beyond the zoom ring to help grip the lens barrel, allowing for quicker push-pull zoom action. Sigma calls this a “dual action zoom,” letting you operate the zoom either with the ring or by pushing and pulling. When photographing fast subjects that are moving erratically or are moving closer or further away from you, push-pull zooming can be much faster than rotating the zoom ring, so it’s great to have both methods here at your disposal.

In terms of buttons and switches, the Sigma 60-600mm lens has as series of switches on the left side of the lens, including an AF/MF toggle switch, 3-way focusing distance limiter switch, OIS switch and a Custom Function slider switch. The lens also has two customizable buttons place between the focus and zoom ring.

There is also a built-in tripod foot with soft stops at each 45-degree position. The full tripod foot ring component itself is not removable, but you can unscrew the foot portion altogether if you want. The foot itself features built-in Arca-Swiss dovetailing for easy compatibility with several different tripod/monopod heads.

Image Quality – An initial look

Once again, this is a pre-production sample, so I’m not going to make a final judgment on image quality just yet. However, what I’m seeing so far is very impressive. I spent much of my time photographing small birds and other tiny critters, as that was pretty much all I found while exploring the outdoors with this lens. Most of my time shooting I found myself at the longer focal lengths, especially at 600mm F6.3, and the results look great. The image quality so far looks fantastic, with excellent sharpness, great contrast and minimal CA, both at the center and out toward the edges.

Sony A7 IV: 535mm, F6.3, 1/500, ISO 500 (JPEG)

100% raw crop (Lightroom/ACR defaults)

Once again, I loved zooming in on a 33MP A7 IV image and seeing all the intricate feather detail. As mentioned, I mainly came across small songbirds, especially at this time of year, and the 600mm focal length really came in handy to help zero-in on these small birds. So far, I’m really impressed not only by the lens’s versatility but also by the sharp images I managed to capture at the full 600mm focal length.

Sony A7 IV: 600mm, F6.3, 1/1000, ISO 320 (JPEG)

100% raw crop (Lightroom/ACR defaults)

The built-in image stabilization, too, proved very helpful, especially when using the lens handheld. Compared to the 2018 DSLR version of this lens, the OIS system has been significantly upgraded. The older version offered up to four stops of stabilization correction, whereas this new version is rated for up to six stops at the telephoto end and seven stops at the shorter end. Even with just framing and composing shots at 600mm, having that smooth and steady view through the viewfinder was extremely helpful. The IS also helps when shooting in lower light conditions, such as in the forest or cloudy conditions, and allows for slightly slower shutter speeds and lower ISO settings.

If you want to check out a sampling of real-world photos, head over to our Image Gallery for a variety of images to download.

Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports will go on sale beginning in mid-February 2023 and will have a retail price of $1,999.

• Sigma 60-600mm DG DN Gallery •

The post Sigma 60-600mm Hands-on Preview: A 10x zooming “Bigma” lens arrives for Sony E-mount and L-mount mirrorless cameras appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Just named as our 2022 Best Camera for Enthusiasts, the new Fujifilm X-T5 continues Fuji’s award-winning heritage of their impressive X-T series of APS-C mirrorless cameras. This latest-generation model maintains that classic retro-inspired design we’ve come to know and love from many of Fuji’s X Series cameras. From the outside, the X-T5 might look similar to its predecessor, but under the hood, this is likely the biggest upgrade and improvement we’ve ever seen to this camera series.

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The X-T5 makes a big jump in resolving power, going from a 26MP sensor to a whopping 40MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor — the same one inside the flagship X-H2. In fact, the X-T5 gains the same overall imaging pipeline as its higher-end sibling — same sensor and the same processor. Plus, it gains the upgraded autofocusing system, with improved speed, precision and sophistication with the added deep learning-based subject-detection modes. Burst speeds are plentiful, with 15fps with the mechanical shutter and up to an impressive 20fps with the electronic shutter at full resolution.

X-T5 + XF100-400mm: 400mm, F6.4, 1/500s, ISO 1000, -0.3EV

My in-depth hands-on review is still in progress, but after testing the X-T5 in the lab, I’ve now been spending some time outdoors with Fuji’s new enthusiast camera. I have an initial selection of real-world gallery images, and so far, I’m really enjoying what I’m seeing! The results and performance have been very positive, with the camera offering excellent image quality and swift, nimble performance. As a wildlife photography fan, the new eye detection for birds has been a particular favorite of mine. The X-T5 might not be the first choice for wildlife photographers, as the bigger grip on the X-H2 or X-H2S is arguably more appropriate for long-lens shooting. However, the X-T5 can undoubtedly hold its own in this arena, especially if you use a lighter lens like the XF 100-400. The new sensor, processor, and intelligence AF features have proven very impressive. Autofocus feels fast and accurate, and the image quality is very good, even at higher ISOs — something Fujifilm cameras do very well!

X-T5 + XF56mm F1.2 R WR: 56mm, F1.2, 1/1800s, ISO 125, -0.3EV

There is much more to test and explore with the new Fujifilm X-T5, but if you want to get an early look at some of the real-world photos I’ve captured with the camera, head on to our Fuji X-T5 Gallery. If you want to see how it performs in our lab testing scenario, check out the Fuji X-T5 Samples Page or see our Comparometer.

X-T5 + XF100-400mm: 400mm, F6.4, 1/480s, ISO 1250, -1EV

X-T5 + XF56mm F1.2 R WR: 56mm, F1.2, 1/500s, ISO 125

– Fuji X-T5 Preview – X-T5 Gallery – X-T5 Lab Samples –

The post Fujifilm X-T5 Gallery: An initial sampling of real-world images from Fuji’s high-res enthusiast camera appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Last month Canon debuted a follow-up to their popular R6 full-frame mirrorless camera, appropriately named the EOS R6 Mark II. This second-gen, enthusiast-grade mirrorless camera brings several upgrades and improvements over its predecessor, most notably to its image sensor. The original model features a humble 20MP sensor, which, while still offering excellent image quality, was a bit low-res compared to competing cameras on the market. Well, Canon quickly addressed that here, adding a new sensor and upping the megapixel count to 24.2 megapixels. The new sensor is paired with the same high-speed DIGIC X image processor as in the original model.

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Upgrades are plentiful in other meaningful areas, as well, including the AF system, continuous shooting performance and video features. The R6 II incorporates what’s essentially the higher-end EOS R3’s incredible AF system, including the same AF algorithms and a range of AI-based intelligent subject-detection options (it actually offers a few more subjects than the R3). Burst speeds with the R6 II’s electronic shutter are twice as fast as the original, now going up to an incredible 40fps at full resolution, and for video, the camera can now record 4K 60p internal and 6K RAW out via the HDMI.

ISO 100 – JPEG

We had hands-on with a prototype R6 Mark II back prior to the announcement, but we’ve just received our full-production review unit, so lab sample images are now ready and waiting for all you pixel-peepers out there! The Canon R6 Mark II offers the same expansive ISO range as the original, with a native ISO range spanning ISO 100-102,400 — expanded ISO range goes down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 204,800. As with most of our First Shots series of sample images, the Canon R6 II First Shots has two different image series, one with default in-camera noise reduction and another with noise reduction disabled. But, of course, we have corresponding RAW files to go along with these straight-out-of-camera JPEGs.

100% Crop – JPEG, default NR processing

If you’re curious to see how Canon’s newest full-frame mirrorless camera performs across its full ISO range, check out our Canon R6 Mark II First Shots. Also, head over to our Comparometer to see our R6 II test shots side by side with sample images from nearly every other camera we’ve tested over the years.

– Canon R6 Mark II Sample Images – Gallery – Hands-on Preview –

The post Canon R6 Mark II First Shots: Have a look at Canon’s latest full-frame mirrorless camera appeared first on Imaging Resource.